The present invention relates to an adjustable insulation apparatus for garments, and more specifically, to an adjustable insulation for garments that may be positioned between an extended position to provide added warmth for a user""s body and a retracted position to provide desired ventilation around the user""s body.
Insulated garments are well-known in the art, and are commonly used by people in a variety of activities. For example, insulated garments such as jackets or vests are frequently used by athletes to retain body heat while exercising outdoors, playing in sports, hiking, running, snow skiing, fishing or any of a variety of other outdoor activities that take place in a cold ambient temperature. The purpose of wearing such clothing is to protect the user from loss of core body temperature and to therefore maintain the desired safety and comfort by the user.
These insulated garments are important to keep the individual warm when in a cold environment, in that the garments will conserve an individual""s body heat, wherein approximately ninety percent of the heat of any person""s body is produced in the torso area via the major organs and muscle groups. However, as the individual engages in physical activity or as the ambient temperature increases, the amount of heat generated by the body will also increase. In order to maintain a constant core temperature as desired, the individual""s body must either give up or retain this heat as necessary. The reaction of the body is largely dependent on the ambient temperature and humidity surrounding the individual.
It is commonly known that the choice of clothing can help control heat when it comes to physical activity. One of the most common suggestions to athletes and the general public is to wear multiple layers of clothing when exercising or when the temperature is expected to fluctuate significantly. By wearing multiple layers, the user can remove outer layers as necessary to adjust to the ambient temperature. Preferably, the closest layer to the skin would direct sweat away from the skin, and each additional layer would trap air that is warmed by the body to help keep the user at a comfortable and desirable temperature.
While layered clothing provides the user with an opportunity to control body heat, this solution raises additional problems. For example, one problem in wearing multiple layers of clothes is that the user often retains too much heat around the core of the body, in which case the user must either remove the unneeded layer or layers or risk overheating. For the user to be able to remove one layer, either the user has to fasten the garment to another portion of the user""s body to reduce the heat surrounding the user""s body (such as to tie the garment around the user""s waist), or the user must discard the garment to be recovered later. In most cases, neither of these options for managing the garment is desirable to the user since they result in a significant inconvenience for the user.
Several garment devices have been developed to answer the problem of body heat control that is experienced by athletic persons and non-athletic persons alike. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,329,638, a design is taught to provide a vest with a heating element to keep the user""s body warm as needed. Clearly, this complicated design will overheat the user""s body while on, and it is further difficult to cool down once the heating element has been in use. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 6,189,149 teaches the use of a vest having pockets in which to insert heat packs. Once again, this design fails to provide a convenient means for heating a person""s torso while also providing a means to allow the user to cool down.
What is desired, then, and not found in the prior art, is an apparatus providing adjustable insulation within or proximate a garment. Such insulation may be positioned in an expanded manner to substantially surround the user""s torso and maintain heat, or it may be retracted from that expanded position to a compact position that does not interfere with the user""s activity.
An object of the present invention is to provide an adjustable insulation attached to a garment to control the body temperature of the user.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an adjustable insulation attached to a garment that moves between an extended position and a retracted position.
It is yet a further object of the present invention is to provide a means for easily moving the adjustable insulation between the extended position and the retracted position.
An additional object of the present invention is to enable the user to regulate the user""s body temperature based on climate conditions without removing the user""s protective outer later.
A further object of the present invention is to minimize the exposure of a user of the present invention to the environmental forces.
These and other objects of the invention are accomplished through an adjustable insulation apparatus that is attached to a garment to provide a means for controlling the core body heat of the user. The adjustable insulation apparatus includes a lining that may be extended to substantially the full width of the garment or retracted and compressed. In the extended position, the lining substantially surrounds a portion the user""s torso so that the lining will aid the user in retaining the core heat of from the user""s torso. When the lining is in the retracted position, it will be compressed longitudinally to one area to reduce the area surrounding the user. As a result, the heat is allowed to dissipate from the user""s body, thereby allowing the core temperature of the user""s body to fall to a desirable level.
The adjustable insulation apparatus additionally includes a control assembly for easily moving the lining between the extended position and the retracted position. The control assembly preferably includes a plurality of extension cords and a plurality of retraction cords that are all attached to the proximal end of the lining, with the extension cords being positioned opposite to the respective retraction cords. One end of each of the extension cords is connected to the proximal end of the lining, and the extension cords extend from the lining to a collection member, where each extension cord traverses the collection member to connect with an extension grip. Similarly, the retraction cords are also attached to substantially the proximal end of the lining, with each retraction cord extending proximate the lining to engage a collection member. Each retraction cords traverse the collection member to connect with a retraction grip.
In operation of the preferred embodiment, the lining is initially in the extended position such that the lining stretches around a substantial portion of the torso of the user and the extension cords hang from the collection member. In this position, the lining will help to maintain the core temperature of the user at a desired level. However, when the user needs to release some of the heat, the user will pull the retraction grips. By pulling the retraction grips, the proximal end of the lining will be moved toward the distal end of the lining. As a result, the lining will be compressed into one location, such that the lining substantially does not surround the user. To return the lining to the extended position, the user will pull the extension grips, and the proximal end of the lining will move away from the distal end of the lining. The lining will once again be stretched around the torso of the user.
These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment of the adjustable insulation apparatus.